Bondye Vodou
Proud practitioner of the "High Science"
Singjay Mr. Vegas is calling Buju Banton a hypocrite for criticising the lyrical content of Afrobeats when his own dancehall catalogue promotes violence.
The Boom Bye Bye artist recently appeared on Drink Champs, where he described afrobeats as “f**kery” which has failed to liberate Africans as has reggae music. In an online response, Vegas reminded Banton that he wasn’t always a righteous-projecting Rastafarian.
“What Buju may have forgotten is that his dancehall hits were not only very sexualized, some songs like Driva and Man Fi Dead promoted violence,” Vegas argued. “Therefore, it is hypocritical to point the proverbial righteous fingers at Afro musicians who are now making their mark on the global stage.”
He continued, “It would have been better for Buju to commend the Africans who have created a genre that has removed stigmas such as ‘Africa is a sh*thole county’, ‘people are still living in trees’, and that they are savages. Buju should also be mindful that his conversion to Rastafarianism did not happen overnight. He dominated the dancehall scene for years and earned exponentially before venturing on his Rastafarian faith.”
Banton’s embrace of Rastafari was pronounced with his 1995 ‘Til Shiloh album. The dikkie deejay had adopted the Pan-African music movement led by acts like Garnett Silk, Everton Blender, Tony Rebel and Luciano. This was reflected throughout the album on songs like Untold Stories, Murderer, Not An Easy Road and ‘Til I’m Laid to Rest. Still, he flirted with suggestive dancehall material up until his incarceration in 2011 on tracks like Too Bad and Driver A.
Looking on, Vegas believes some Jamaican artists are jealous of the success of afrobeats stars.
“It’s very unfair to compare afrobeats to reggae, very unfair, but people are doing it and they’re doing it from a place of hatred – some people – where it’s like, okay, this is our opportunity to dog, to hit out, to demonise your fellow African brothers who are doing well,” Vegas said. “But before afrobeats was doing what it is doing now, people used to glorify dancehall and what dancehall was doing… People celebrated Shabba Rankin…slackness – people loved it.”
www.dancehallmag.com
The Boom Bye Bye artist recently appeared on Drink Champs, where he described afrobeats as “f**kery” which has failed to liberate Africans as has reggae music. In an online response, Vegas reminded Banton that he wasn’t always a righteous-projecting Rastafarian.
“What Buju may have forgotten is that his dancehall hits were not only very sexualized, some songs like Driva and Man Fi Dead promoted violence,” Vegas argued. “Therefore, it is hypocritical to point the proverbial righteous fingers at Afro musicians who are now making their mark on the global stage.”
He continued, “It would have been better for Buju to commend the Africans who have created a genre that has removed stigmas such as ‘Africa is a sh*thole county’, ‘people are still living in trees’, and that they are savages. Buju should also be mindful that his conversion to Rastafarianism did not happen overnight. He dominated the dancehall scene for years and earned exponentially before venturing on his Rastafarian faith.”
Banton’s embrace of Rastafari was pronounced with his 1995 ‘Til Shiloh album. The dikkie deejay had adopted the Pan-African music movement led by acts like Garnett Silk, Everton Blender, Tony Rebel and Luciano. This was reflected throughout the album on songs like Untold Stories, Murderer, Not An Easy Road and ‘Til I’m Laid to Rest. Still, he flirted with suggestive dancehall material up until his incarceration in 2011 on tracks like Too Bad and Driver A.
Looking on, Vegas believes some Jamaican artists are jealous of the success of afrobeats stars.
“It’s very unfair to compare afrobeats to reggae, very unfair, but people are doing it and they’re doing it from a place of hatred – some people – where it’s like, okay, this is our opportunity to dog, to hit out, to demonise your fellow African brothers who are doing well,” Vegas said. “But before afrobeats was doing what it is doing now, people used to glorify dancehall and what dancehall was doing… People celebrated Shabba Rankin…slackness – people loved it.”
Mr. Vegas Calls Buju Banton A Hypocrite for Criticising Afrobeats Lyrics
Singjay Mr. Vegas is calling Buju Banton a hypocrite for criticising the lyrical content of Afrobeats when his own dancehall catalogue promotes violence.
www.dancehallmag.com
